“Holding the Torch for Liberty”: June 3, 2012 suffrage musical gala in Manhattan

“Holding the Torch for Liberty” is the story of Sarah, a seamstress at the Liberty Pants Factory and suffragist allies who campaign for the right to vote in 1920. With the help of The Statute of Liberty, the students involved in the musical production overcome all obstacles and participate in a story about a great American civil rights movement.

Set aside June 3, 2012 for The Jazz Drama Program Summer Gala, 2-5 pm at Urban Stages in NYC. It’s a celebration of the work of The Jazz Drama Program with artistic director Eli Yamin, special guest Mercedes Ellington and honoring Dr. William Rodriguez, Latin Jazz Pianist, principal and founder of the Celia Cruz Bronx High School of Music.

The event features a live performance of scenes and songs from “Holding the Torch for Liberty,” the jazz musical about women’s suffrage by Eli Yamin and Clifford Carlson, and performed by students from Celia Cruz Bronx High School of Music. Refreshments and a champagne toast are included in the ticket price. This is a wonderful opportunity to support a program that builds leadership through stories about the suffrage movement.

Tickets to this event are limited and can be purchased for $100. For more information. Each ticket holder will receive a copy of the cast CD of “Holding the Torch for Liberty” signed by the authors.

The suffrage music video “Bad Romance” has really brought the message of voting for women to enormous numbers of people. I’ll be interested to see if the same thing is true with this production of “Holding the Torch for Liberty.”

The appearance of Statue of Liberty was mainly influenced by the neoclassical artistic style of the 19th century. The idea to create a lady struck the minds of a small group of French intellectuals at a dinner party. Their talks were focused on the close relations between France and America and the voices of the guests expressed admiration and sympathy.An interesting fact is that Gustav Eiffel who the creator of the famous Eiffel Tower was also the engineer for Statue of Liberty’s complex skeleton. He wanted to build Eiffel Tower in the city of Barcelona in Spain for the Universal Exposition in 1888. However Barcelona thought that the tower was too expensive and did not fit the style of the city. The city hall of Barcelona voted against the proposal ultimately sending Gustav Eiffel to submit his plans to the city of Paris.The height of the Statue of Liberty is 151 feet and 10 inches. The Eiffel Tower has a total height of 1,063 feet which includes the antenna of 79 feet high that was added years later.Visitors can climb the Statue of Liberty to the balcony around the torch with the help of a steel ladder. Eiffel tower has three levels and it continues to be updated with new shops and restaurants and it has retained its essence from its initial days.The Statue of Liberty is an attraction for tourists and the Eiffel Tower is known today as a cultural icon and one of France’s most beloved landmarks.